December 2, 2005

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  Let’s set the wayback machine to my blog of December 2, 2004, in a galaxy a long long time ago and far far away. I wrote a poem, and got political. Here’s the poem.

  
  

  
  “Psalms to a Different God”
  Poetry by Michael F. Nyiri
  December 2nd 2004 5:12 a.m. pst

  
  

  WE are all alone together
  Either practicing love for our BROTHERS and SISTERS
  Or trying to kill THEM

  
  

  WE are saddled with responsibilities
  These WE sometimes ignore
  And sometimes WE rarely speak
  To the PEOPLE next door

  
  

  Huddled in HUMANITY with or without a clue
  Lifting OUR arms heavenward
  WE pray
  In the name of Jesus, Allah, Buddha, and Zeus
  Mother Gaia, and the many Bacchuses of mispent youth
  WE turn to YOU, whoever YOU may be
  But sometimes the questions aren’t answered, YOU see

  
  

  WE are in this TOGETHER
  Can WE take the time to talk
  To iron out OUR differences
  To spout OUR philosophies in the light
  of reason
  As WE pray to our Gods for answers

  
  

  The answer lies not in the question
  The answer lies not in the pleading
  The answer lies not in
  OUR Psalms to Different Gods
  The answer lies in OURSELVES
  And it always has
  Through time immemorial
  And into the future of humankind

  
  

  I may thank MY God
  YOU may thank YOURS
  But let’s practice the love OUR Gods preach
  And let’s not let OUR differences stop US
  Or else there will be NO ONE left to
  Sing HIS praises
  Whomever HE may be
  When WE are all gone from existence
  Because WE didn’t listen with OUR hearts

  
  

  
  

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  The amount of soldiers killed in Iraq his a milestone last year on this date. Following is the essay I wrote last Dec.02: Reuters Headline. Dec. 02, 2004:

  
  

  U.S. Troop Numbers in Iraq to Hit Record 150,000

  
  

  
   

  
  

  I heard this on NPR yesterday and woke to see it staring out from my computer screen on my Reuters feed this morning. I’m upset. I’m not the only one who has been comparing the questionable Iraq ”war” with Vietnam. I even wrote a poem, “Another Vietnam” back in May. I’ve been against this “conflict” since before it began. Heck, I was against going into Afghanistan so early, and I still don’t think “we” (read bullheaded American military hawks) accomplished much there. I watched the film “Control Room” a few weeks ago,  and in it a reporter for the Al Jazeera television station based in Qatar wonders why “America” thinks that they can forcibly foist “democracy” on any country, specifically Iraq, by sending in men with guns. “Get ready to be a democracy…..OR else!” Why do so many people (Bush is still the President, and fully half the people in America still believe he’s doing the right thing.) still feel “we” are in the “right” trying to do this crazy thing. Now we’re sending in more troops, sorry, A RECORD NUMBER of troops in to “help with the election”. Ask the average “man on the street” in Iraq (if you speak English and dare to do so) what the “elections” are for and he won’t know. He doesn’t know why American troops are still in the country. Heck, he’s with me (and half the American public who voted for Kerry) who feel “we” don’t belong there in the first place.

  
  

  The comparisons with Vietnam are eerily becoming clearer to me, especially when I read the article I posted above. I wonder what Robert MacNamara would think about this. He even admits, in the documentary “The Fog of War”, that “we” made a major mistake in Vietnam. Will “we” never learn? “I shudder for humanity”. I’ve used that phrase so often it’s becoming to sound like Chicken Little declaring that the sky is falling, but the sky is blinding us because it’s covening our eyes now, and is about to crash towards our misdirected feet.

  
  

  I’m still proud to be an American. (I state, like I’m trying to convince myself.) I sure wouldn’t want to be an Iraqi right now. Scratch that. I CERTAINLY wouldn’t  want to be a young man or a Reserve officer right here in America right now, because I’d as sure as sh*t be sent over to Iraq, possibly on the next plane out, and probably come back in a body bag on the next plane in.

  
  

  MARK MY WORDS. We’ve already suffered over 130 deaths in Iraq in November alone, (another “record”, I believe the total was 134 but I’m not checking facts right now and that’s from memory) How many people will have to die before the DRAFT arrives. And it’s coming. The hawks outnumber the doves right now.

  
  

  And when are the “peace marches” going to get bloody like they did in the 60s, eh? And when will American troop start firing on student demonstrators like in 70?

  
  

  The answers, my friends, are blowin in the wind. And the storm has only just begun.

  
  

  As always, I shudder for humanity.

  
  

  
  

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  UPDATE: Today: Without culling the news articles and dragging out the quotes, I would like to pay lip service to Rep. Murtha’s speech a little over a week ago in Congress, which has started the media talking about a”pullout”. The antichrist bush is even acknowledging that a scaleback of military force is possible starting in 2006, which means his advisors have finally briefed him about what the chiefs of staff have been talking about for at least the past four months. Of course there is military activitiy in Ramadi this morning, but perhaps the great big ol USA will actually start getting our troops back home, and let those Iraqis start mopping up the mess BEFORE we have to reinstate the draft, like I talked about last year. The boys at Camp Pendleton have been deployed four times already. Pretty soon there won’t be anyone left to fight Mr. Bush’s “war”.  So here’s to the positive news that the administration is at least beginning to “do the deed” and not drop it in Hillary’s lap when she gains the Presidential seat in 2008.  Your humble correspondent: Michael F. Nyiri, poet, philosopher, fool (P.S. Another milestone was reached today when the 1000th execution since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976 was performed in N. Carolina. When will mankind stop killing himself? Sanctioned or not, it’s a tragedy.)
  

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  The images of Peabody and Sherman are  copyright © Jay Ward. The little time machines they are riding are from the George Pal motion picture ”The Time Machine” from 1962. 
  

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